General Adoption

• National Adoption Center.

• Adoptive Families Magazine.

• PACT.

• Adoption Tax Credit.

• You should also consider joining some of the email group lists which can be very informative, supportive and give you up to date information. You can join a list specific to a country, etc., and/or special issues, for example, 2Adopt for general adoption issues, GAARP for older parents, IChild for those who are adopting from India, Guatemala_Adoption, etc. To see a list of many of these groups, and how to join, click here.

For those who are adopting Internationally

• Department of State website regarding intercountry adoption.

• United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website re intercountry adoption.

• Rainbow Kids (An online International Adoption Magazine).

• Joint Council on International Adoptions (JCICS).

• Families with Children From China.

• Adoptive Families Magazine.

U.S. Citizenship

• N-600 Application for Certificate of Citizenship.

• U.S. Passport.

Adoption Information for Residents of Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia Area Adoption Support and Activity Groups

• PA child abuse clearance forms (form CY-113).

• PA criminal record form (form SP4 -164) OR Download pdf Version.

• PA DPW FBI Fingerprint clearances
  Do not go to a police department to get your fingerprints. There is a new system for obtaining fingerprints through the PA Department of Welfare, called COGENT. For information regarding the process, click here.

• To order a Pennsylvania Birth Certificate.

Re Immigration

• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) - the national group of immigration attorneys.

• Immigration Legal Resources Center (ILRC).